Casey's blog

Q: Do you have any healthy meal ideas to feed a family of 6 which won't blow the budget?

A: That's a fairly detailed question to answer, as healthy eating whilst not expensive requires a shift not only in what foods and meals you create, but an honest look at where you're spending unnecessarily and a mind open to shifts in lifestyle that might include: shopping at weekend markets, creating veggie gardens, taking part in co-ops, planning ahead more than a week, and buying dry foods like nuts and dried legumes in bulk.

A few recipes I give you will not be enough to save a significant amount of money when it comes to feeding any more than two people.

When you first decide to include more whole foods in your diet, it may seem costly, since you will need to restock your kitchen with some new items. However, once you’ve made the initial transition, maintaining your kitchen will be less expensive in the long run.

Having spoken to numerous families who have transitioned to a healthier diet, they often come from a mindset of shopping at a traditional supermarket such as Coles or Woolworths, and the typical family of 4 would spend an average of $800 per month on groceries, eating 2-4 meals out every week.

Once they start including more whole foods in their diets, most families this size continue to spend an average of $800 per month on groceries, but instead they prepare almost all the family’s meals, using the highest quality ingredients on the planet. What a difference in health (and yumminess and satisfaction) this can make!

Savings in healthcare and cosmetics

Packaged food is very expensive, yet it appears that households with very low incomes tend to be the largest consumers of packaged products - and consequently the social sector suffering the most from chronic illnesses like diabetes.

If you are on a budget, it simply makes much more sense to put your food dollars toward natural foods. You’ll spend less on doctor visits, and you’ll be naturally glowing without having to spend a lot of money on makeup, clothes, facials, and other cosmetic purchases.

Notice where you’re spending money needlessly. Manicures and pedicures are not necessities. Impulsive long-distance phone calls and expensive coffees should take a backseat to the joy of cultivating real health!

Cut back on other expenses if you must, and learn to put your health and well-being first.

This does raise an interesting comparison, though. For example, a container of raw almond butter costs about $8, whereas a container of supermarket-bought peanut butter costs about $4.

The almond butter is a far superior food because it provides essential raw enzymes, calcium, and protein that the body can fully assimilate, whereas the supermarket-bought peanut butter is full of hydrogenated oils, salt, sugar, and other preservatives that the body cannot process. In the long run, isn’t it worth spending those few extra dollars on the almond butter? It baffles me that people think $3 is too much to spend on a papaya, but they’ll spend that amount or more on a bag of potato chips and a soft drink!

What to buy

Whole grains like millet, brown rice, and buckwheat cost very little and are very filling, as are sweet potatoes and sprouted grain breads. You can buy fresh fruits and vegetables as well as many raw nuts and grain items at inexpensive co-ops, online community exchanges and wholefood bulk manufacturers.

If you like simple foods and are creative with nuts, dried fruit, and dates, you can keep costs down and still have dessert.

Do your homework, price things out online, and you will find a way to fit a healthy diet lifestyle into the tightest budget.

I could sit here all day finding healthy recipes for you that you may or may not use, but the best thing I can think of is to give you the cheaper FOOD ITEM OPTIONS and let you use your genius and googling skills to put together some simple recipes from these.

Let me know your thoughts, contributions and questions, there are many more food and meal ideas that could be added here! Feel free to email me casey@greensmoothieyoga.com if you have anything you'd like to ask in private.Happy budgeting!